Hi there
Im tripping through patagonia right now but im stuck because my cylinder Head gasket is damaged. This happened on the Careterra Austral and im happy that i found a mechanic. So while im waiting for the new gasket i wonder how this could happen. Its a New 2011 bike with 15000 km. Yes it was hot and yes i drove about 4 hrs gravel until my cooling liquid came Out like a fountain. I Talkes to another f 800 rider and he told me that he never checked his cooling liquid since 100000 km. Of somebody has an explantion for that and Knows how to prevent that this won't happen again let me know. Maybe its just bad luck but i dont want to get stuck on ruta 40 cause auf these issues.
Thanks for help

Yipe, coolant was coming out like a fountain!??? No way this should happen unless your fan is toast. Heat gauge would have been at the top and warning light on the dash would have been on. As for the head gasket are you sure it's not the valve cover gasket? This gasket is well documented to leak on many bikes (mine included). BMW replaced mine with new version and different bolts I believe as well.

The Heat gauge was ok all the time. We stopped at a gas pump when i saw that there is some coolant at the box. I checked the oil which was max then i decided to proceed and then After 500 m the coolant came out like a fountain. THEN the warning light was on and the heat gauge was high. After the head gasket is replaced i'll do a test ride to check if the Fan is working properly.

The dealership replaced my water pump under warranty and did not get all the air out of the cooling system (which is difficult to remove on the twins) and this caused a problem very similar to yours, but fortunately I did not do damage to the bike.

Here's the thread, fortunately Joel Wiseman was able to give me a hand & some suggestions and I got it ironed out:

Cylinder head gaskets have NOT been a problem. Sounds like you have some manufacturing defect somewhere. Guess you'll see on the teardown. The Radiator cap is designed to release excess coolant pressure making it the path of least resistance rather than a gasket. If the gasket and mating surfaces are not the cause then they're just a result of something else failing.

Exactly where was the leak on the bike? Front, back, left side, right side....can you narrow it down?

There is an o-ring seal on the water pump shaft that is prone to leakage and/or failure. I thought I had a valve cover gasket leak, but it was coming out a weep hole on the upper right side which turned out to be this O-ring & shaft. I bought a valve cover gasket and O-ring for the replacement, as it was leaking a fair amount (not a fountain by any means).

But first, I swapped the oil from synthetic back to a standard grade and the leak dried up and stopped. Probably not same situation you have (especially since you said "Head Gasket" which is much lower on engine), but thought it might be helpful info to know.....as you travel along. Just in case you encounter that issue, as well.

HF

p.s. my valve cover bolts were loose when I received my bike.....didn't realize it at the time. Or, at least, they vibrated loose over 10,000 miles of riding. I was seeing some oil leak from the valve cover until I tightened those bolts down firmly. Yours should be fine, if someone just replaced a head gasket.